The electronics industry is striving to further miniaturize circuitry while increasing the complexity of the same. In order to meet this goal, the individual electrical devices such as transistors and resistors and the interconnects between such devices must be fabricated on an increasingly small scale. As device and interconnect dimensions approach one-half to one-quarter of a micron, the cleanliness of the electronic assembly impacts performance and reliability.
Typical contaminants residing on the surface of semi-conductor devices include metal oxides and metal halides formed during the fabrication of the electronic device and corrosive chlorides deposited on such assemblies through various handling operations. These contaminants can weaken or embrittle the electrical connectors causing a physical failure and current leakages. Consequently, improved cleaning agents and processes for cleaning semi-conductor devices during their fabrication are required in order to more effectively remove harmful metal-containing contaminants.